Dan Fogelberg & Tim Weisberg - "Twin Sons of Different Mothers" (1978)

Well, I enjoyed this record much more than I thought I would. I have previously blue-binned records by each of these mustachioed gentlemen, so I didn't think there was any reason to expect better results when the two of them joined forces. Indeed, Weisberg's High Risk may well be one of the most laughable albums I've ever heard (think jazz flute solos over drum machines and synthesizers circa 1985), so I really didn't expect much from this record. 

Okay, it's no masterpiece. But it does do a nice job playing up the duo's relative strengths and staying away from their weaknesses. It's not that I thought Weisberg was necessarily a bad flautist (not that I have any idea what a good flautist would sound like), but that the premise of jazz flute solos in a very 80s context was just such a terrible one. So without the corny electronics, his flute parts immediately sound much, much better. As for Fogelberg, I'm not really a fan of his mushy soft-rock singer-songwriter approach, but most of these songs are instrumental compositions, and the few vocal numbers at least have hooks, which were lacking on the other record I've heard by him (Home Free). Overall, I would say that this record is more pleasant than thrilling, but there is a nice diversity of style, nothing too offensive, and it's rarely boring. So apparently two mediocre musicians is indeed better than one.

Return to Forever - "Romantic Warrior" (1976)

I have enough jazz records on my shelves to know, that despite the album cover, which at first indicated to me that this would be some terrible mid-70s medieval prog record, Return to Forever is in fact a jazz-fusion supergroup consisting of Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Al Di Meola, and Lenny White. I'd heard of three of the four, so that makes it perhaps the most super of jazz supergroups. Anyways, I don't know if I have much meaningful to say about this record, besides that there's a lot of blistering, but not uninteresting playing from all parties. There are some progressive and medieval tinges, but really, this is just jazz fusion from some of the finest players around of the era.

ELO - "Face the Music" (1975)

ELO is one of those 1970s bands that divides critics thanks to their heavy reliance on orchestration and progressive pop sensibilities. Much like with similarly divisive Steely Dan, I am firmly in the pro-ELO camp, proving that I am a lover of pop schlock once and for all (okay, my positive review of Paul McCartney's Tug of War already gave that one away). But really, I don't get it. Sure, ELO is following in the footsteps of the Beatles, particularly the Sgt. Pepper's era, albeit updated for a mid-70s classic rock sound. But they write captivating hooks, use their strings in a creative way (check out those runs on "Evil Woman"!), and if it is all overblown, so be it. The one potential misfire for me is the all-instrumental opening track "Fire on High," which reminds me way too much of the Moody Blues' similar failed efforts to open each album with a string instrumental (though the Moodies made it even worse by adding a spoken-word poem). But after that, this is all impeccable pop music that makes me yearn and swoon. Thumbs up!

Jim Croce - "Photographs and Memories: His Greatest Hits" (1974)

It's always easy to look back at musicians who died young and wonder what could have been. Jim Croce may not have been an artist with the stature of a Hendrix or Joplin, but I think he was at least better than James Taylor. So there. Photographs and Memories, his posthumous greatest hits collection, gathers all the key tracks from his short discography, almost half of them coming from his most famous record, You Don't Mess Around with Jim (which I also own). Probably having both of these records is somewhat redundant, but I will refrain from discarding one and keeping the other, at least for the time being. Croce basically has two personas: funny man ("Bad Bad Leroy Brown" and "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" as the prime examples) and sensitive balladeer ("Time in a Bottle"). He was a good enough songwriter to do well at both, and I commend him for that. These are not great songs, but they are by and large good songs, and I can always make room in my collection for solid, well-performed music. Keeper.

Linda Ronstadt - "Mad Love" (1980)

Once again, Linda Ronstadt defies my expectations. The opening line odds of this one making the blue bin at -191/+181 but I have to say, this is a keeper. It's hard for me to exactly explain why. These are all covers of new wave songs (three by Elvis Costello!), a genre in which Ronstadt didn't exactly make her name. She is a pleasant, but not outstanding singer, so I'm rarely riveted by her vocal performances. Her backing band is professional, but they never tear the listener a new asshole (bad analogy?). But what she does have is an unerring sense of tastefulness, both in choice of songs to cover, and then in performing them. The songs aren't flashy, but they aren't generic either. It would be easy to fall back upon commercial tropes, but even if her band doesn't rip it up, they still play with spirit. So I found the first side enjoyable all the way through, and if the second side drops off a bit, so be it.

Jeff Lorber - "Step by Step" (1984)

For whatever reason, I own three records by Jeff Lorber, pioneer in the 'contemporary' jazz scene of the 1980s. Although he has faded into obscurity today, I do find Lorber to be at least an interesting figure. To my surprise, Step by Step is no doubt a 'black' music record, with the song "Pacific Coast Highway" even winning a Grammy for best R&B instrumental. It's a mixture of mid-80s R&B and jazz, with lots of synthesizers and drum machines. I don't think that this particular mixture was ever a good idea, so it would probably take a lot for this record to escape the blue bin. And indeed it won't. 

There are a few interesting tracks here, although they are mostly when he goes completely instrumental. "On the Wild Side" is the only song where the synthesizers and drum machines are used in a unique way, generating intense rhythmic drive, and for that reason, it is the clear highlight. But even the better songs are marred by the robotic sound, and I don't find that these 'smooth' jazz instrumentals sit well with the more R&B-tinged vocal numbers, most of which are fairly generic and dated. There's even a song written by the infamous Diane Warren  and true to her oeuvre, it is trite and well, awful ("Every Woman Needs It"). Really, I don't even like "Pacific Coast Highway" that much, so this isn't that close to being a keeper for me. But it's an interesting blue bin record. If you have any interest in Lorber's brand of jazz, try the Jeff Lorber Fusion. I own Water Sign and that one I can actually recommend.

Squeeze - "Squeeze" (1978)

Despite the awful album art (the back cover showcases the band all wearing nothing but black briefs in some sort of dated effort to raise shock value, but much like similar Prince covers, it just seems ridiculous today), I call this a successful debut for new wave/power-pop band Squeeze. I own a handful of Squeeze records, and rather enjoy their third album Argybargy. Although they fail to reach the pop bliss of singles like "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)" here, they show their potential and signs of what was to come later. Squeeze has a nervous energy unique to early new wave and combine a gift for pop hooks with almost-punk sensibilities. One odd thing about this album was that it was produced by John Cale of the Velvet Underground, who at least according to allmusic.com, pushed the band in an uncomfortable direction, resulting in an inauspicious debut. But while I wouldn't argue that they got better (and more diverse), I find that their debut is still a worthy chapter in the Squeeze story.